Closet construction

ABSTRACT

Upper and lower closets are formed at the end of a room by fastening side supports to the side walls of the room near the back wall. A track member is secured at its ends to the side supports and extends across the room from one side wall to the other. A center support is connected between the track member and the back wall and the center support along with the side supports provides subjacent support for a shelf which divides the space between the room ceiling and floor into upper and lower closets. The track member is a unitary structure and includes a set of upper tracks on which upper sliding doors ride and a set of lower tracks from which lower sliding doors are suspended. The upper doors close the upper closet and their upper ends are confined by guide means attached to the ceiling. The lower doors close the lower closet.

United States Patent Peterson [54] CLOSET CONSTRUCTION [72] Inventor:Francis C. Peterson, Afi'ton, Mo. [73] Assignee: ing Company, St. Louis,Mo.

C. Hager & SOIIS Hinge Manufactur- 1 Nov. 14, 1972 2,858,408 10/1958Barroero ..312/138 R 3,276,831 10/1966 Lappin..., ..312/138 R FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 7,286 4/1899 Great Britain ..312/350 22 Filed:Sept. 18, 1970 Primary ExaminerFra.nk L. Abbott PP N05 73,5513 AssistantExaminer-Henry E. Raduazo I I Attorney-Gravely, Lieder and Woodruff [52]US. Cl. ..52/36, 312/304, 49/410,

i r 52/238,52/64 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl; ..A47b 61/00 Upper andlower closets are formed at the end of a [58] Field of Search ..312/138,294, 245, 109, 304; room by fastening side supports to the side walls ofthe 52/36, 64; 49/413, 410 room near the back wall. A track member issecured at its ends to the side supports and extends across the [56]References Cited room from one side wall to the other. A center supportis connected between the track member and the UNITED STATES PATENTS backwall and the center support along with the side 3 265 456 8/1966Woolever 312,350 supports provides subjacent support for a shelf which3290846 12/1966 Mader 52/36 divides the space between the room ceilingand floor 10,1897 H [350 into upper and lower closets. The track memberis a l 076067 1 0/191 3 S 1;"; unitary structure and includes a set ofupper tracks on 1 j e 52/36 which upper sliding doors ride and a set oflower 297L805 21196 6188 8 R tracks from which lower sliding doors aresuspended. 5323: g 3 322 12/138 R The upper doors close the upper closetand their 2,6 l or upper ends are confined by guide means attached to1,988,260 1/ 1935 Berghoff ..52/64 the ceiling The lower doors close thelower closet 2,825,430 -3/1958 Hooper ..52/64 I 2,895,779 7/1959 Bender..312/138 R 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 7 7w g 4* m 74 i M Z0 m M -42 243- -l 4 w 56 Zfi z/a 5,2 62 '35 L30 i ,7z 1 3.3

M m 2& a 6% z 3? yyv 51f v! PATENTEDnnv 14 I972 SHEEI 1 BF 2 INVENTORFRANCIS C. PETERSON I ATTORNEYS PATENTED Nov. 1 4 1912 SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG.2 76 jg INVENTOR FRANCIS C. PETERSON rjgm eof ATTORNEYS BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION This invention relates to closest and, more particularlyto a closet construction having sliding doors.

The current practice among home builders is to provide bedrooms andhalls with wide clothes closets and to close these closets with slidingdoors. Normally, two doors are employed and each door is suspended froma separate track positioned across the upper end of the closet opening.The tracks are parallel but offset so that one door passes by the otherwhen opened, thus affording access to the interior of the closet.

One variation of the standard sliding door closet actually consists oftwo closets, one located above the other. The lower closet usuallyshares the same floor as theroom into which that closest opens and ishigh enough to accommodate clothing suspended from conventional clotheshangers. The upper closet is disposed directly above the lower closetand usually extends up to the ceiling of the room, although it mayalsoextend up to a lintel set below the room ceiling. In any event, theupper closet, while having the same width and depth as the lower closet,is considerably shorter in height, and consequently is used for storageof relatively small items which are not needed often. The upper closetis likewise closed by sliding doors, and these doors are set inchannel-like tracks which are installed separately from the tracks usedto suspend the doors of the lower closet.

The foregoing twin or double closet arrangement costs considerably moreto construct than the conventional single closet since it requires arather complex framework. In particular, the carpenter normally roughsin the two closets with studs and lintel pieces, the latter of whichform the framework of the partition separating the upper and lowerclosets. Then a suitable covering material is nailed to the studs thelintel pieces, thus forming two separate openings or closets. Theclosets are individually finished by installing separate tracks on eachside of the partition so formed and mounting doors on these tracks. Thedoors on the upper track further require guide means along the ceilingor along another lintel piece. The foregoing procedure for constructingclosets requires considerable carpentry work and lumber, primarily forconstructing the necessary framework, and is therefore quite expensive.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION One of the principal objects of the presentinvention is to provide a closet construction which requires a minimumamount of carpentry work to construct. Another object is to provide acloset construction having upper and lower closets provided with doorswhich ride on easily installed tracks. A further object is to providetwin closet arrangement which is easy and inexpensive to construct anddoes not require a complex framework. An additional object is to providea closet wherein a shelf-like partition member is combined with trackmeans having tracks thereon for both the upper and lower doors, andwherein the track means itself acts as a support member. These and otherobjects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a closet construction includingspaced side walls against which support members are positioned. Thesupport members support a shelf, and track means extend between thesupport members. Doors are engaged with and slide relative to the trackmeans. The invention further resides in the track means itself and inthe method of constructing a closet of the foregoing type. The inventionalso consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which form partof the specification and wherein likenumerals refer to like partswhereover they occur:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away and in section, of acloset construction constructed in accordance with and embodying thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now in detail to the drawings, 2designates a closet construction (FIG. 1) which normally extendscompletely across the end of a room 6 having a floor 8, a ceiling 10,side walls 12 and 14, and a back wall 16. The ceiling l0 and floor 8extend into the closet construction 2 and form the top wall and bottom,respectively, thereof. Likewise the side walls 12 and 14 extend into thecloset construction 2 and form the sides thereof between the floor 8 andceiling 10. The back wall 16 is perpendicular to the side walls 12 and14 and extends between the end margins of those sides walls 12 and 14,thereby forming the back or rear of the closet construction 2.

Normally the floor 8 constitutes a poured concrete slab or else a woodflooring material nailed to floor joints. The ceiling 10 is normallycomposed of sheets of wallboard nailed to ceiling joints. The roomwalls, including the side walls 12 and 14 and the back wall 16, normallycomprise upright studs fitted between the floor 8 and ceiling 10 andwall board nailed to those studs and completely obscuring them. Whilewalls constructed from wallboard and studs are perhaps the most commoninsofar as residential construction is concerned, it should beunderstood that the present invention is equally applicable to otherforms of wall construction and similarly other forms of floor andceiling constructions also. Thus, the closet construction 2 may bebounded by masonary walls, plywood walls, lath and plaster walls, andthe like. Moreover, the closet construction 2 need not extend completelyacross the end of the room 6 as illustrated, but may be disposed acrossan inset formed in and opening out of one of the walls bounding the room6.

The closet construction is divided into upper and lower closets orsections 20 and 22 by a horizontal shelf 24 which extends between theside walls 12 and 14. The shelf 24 consists of two segments 26 and 28,the former of which telescopes (FIGS. 2 and 3) into the latter so thatthe length of the shelf 24 can be varied to accommodate closetconstructions 2 of different widths. The telescopic connection betweenthe two segments 26 and 28 also facilitates installation of the shelf 24in the closet construction 2 as will hereinafter be described in greaterdetail. The segments 26 and 28 are preferably stamped from metal andhave downwardly turned flanges 30 along their front and rear margins.The rear flange 30 is presented outwardly toward the open area of theroom 6. Each flange 30 merges into a relatively narrow horizontal basewall 32 which underlies and extends parallel to the top surface of theshelf segment 26 and 28. The base walls 32, in turn, merge into upwardlyturned lips 33. The flanges 30, base walls 32 and lips 33 rigidify thesegments 26 and 28 and prevent them from bowing or sagging whensubjected to loading.

The shelf 24 is supported at its ends by side supports 34 (FIGS. 3 and4) which are fastened to the side walls 12 and 16 by screws 35. The midportion of the shelf 24 is supported by a center support 36 (FIGS. 2 and3) which is attached to the back wall 16 by means of an angle bracket38. The racket 38 is affixed to the wall 16 and to the center support 36by screws 39. Normally, both side supports 34 and the center support 36are cut from standard inch thick lumber. While the thickness of thecenter support 36 and the side supports 34 must fall within prescribedlimitations, as will subsequently be more apparent, the width of thesupports 34 and 36 is not critical. In most applications the sidesupports 34 are three-fourths inch wide and the center support is 2 to 3inches wide.

Fitted over the forwardly presented ends of the side supports 34 and thecenter support 36 is a track member 40 (FIGS. 1 and 2) along which twopairs of upper sliding doors 42 slide and from which two pairs of lowersliding doors 44 are suspended. The doors 42 close the upper closet 20,while the doors 44 close the lower closet 22.

More specifically, the track member 40 is preferably an aluminumextrusion including (FIG. 2) a face plate 50 which extends across andcompletely masks the forward edges of the supports 34 and 36. The faceplate 50 extends a short distance above the upper surfaces of thesupports 34 and 36 in the provision of front guide rail 52 and projectsa considerably greater distance below the lower surfaces of supports 34and 36 so as to obscure the upper ends of the lower doors 44. Formedintegral with and projecting rearwardly from the face plate 50 is anupper horizontal section 54 which extends along the upper surface of thesupports 34 and 36. The upper section 54 has intermediate and rear guiderails 56 and 58 projecting upwardly from it, and both of these guiderails are parallel to the front guide rail 52 on the face plate 50. Allof the guide rails 52, 56 and 58 furthermore project upwardly above theupper surfaces of the supports 34 and 36 an equal distance. The frontand intermediate guide rails 52 and 56 form a forward channel-like track60 on the upper section 54 of the member 40, and that track 60 receivesone door of each pair of upper sliding doors 42. Similarly, theintermediate and rear guide rails 56 and 58 form a rear channel-liketrack 62 which receives the other door in each pair of upper slidingdoors 42.

The track member 40 similarly includes lower horizontal section 64 whichis formed integral with and projects along the underside of the supports34 and 36 parallel to the upper horizontal section 54. The lowerhorizontal section 64 has front and rear tracks 66 and 68 projectingdownwardly from it, and each track 66 and 68 loops rearwardly and thenupwardly for a short distance at its lower end so as to form rollertroughs 70. Thus, in cross-section the tracks 66 and 68 have a hook-likeappearance.

The track member 40 is secured to each of the supports 34 and 36 member24 by screws 72 (FIGS. 2 and 4) or other suitable fastening deviceswhich extend through the lower horizontal member 64 between the faceplate 50 and the forward track 66 as well as between the two tracks 66and 68.

The lower doors 44 are suspended from the tracks 66 and 68 by rollerbrackets 80, (FIG. 2) each of which is fastened to the backside of itsparticular door 44 and is provided with a nylon or other suitable roller82 which revolves about an axis perpendicular to the door faces and istransversely centered above the upper edge of the door 44. These rollers82 ride in the troughs of the tracks 66 and 68, allowing the doors 44 tomove easily between the side walls 12 and 14. In this connection, thetracks 66 and 68 are spaced far enough apart to enable the doors 44suspended from the rear track 68 to pass behind the doors 44 suspendedfrom the front track 68. Similarly, the front track 66 is positioned farenough to the rear of the face plate 50 to prevent any interferencebetween the plate 50 and the upper end of the doors 44 which aresuspended from the track 66, yet is close enough to the face plate 50 toobscure the roller brackets on those doors 44.

To prevent the lower doors 44 from swinging into and out of the lowercloset 22, floor guides 84 (FIG. 2) are attached to the floor directlybelow the track member 40 and, as the name implies, the guides 84 guideor confine the lower ends of the suspended doors 44, yet do not impedethe sliding of the doors 44.

Turning again to the two sets of upper doors 42, whereas the lower endsof those doors ride in the channel-like tracks 60 and 62 on the trackmember 40, the upper ends of those doors are transversely confined by aceiling guide in the form of a double channel member (FIG. 2) attachedto the ceiling 10. The channel member 90 includes a base plate 92 havingparallel front, intermediate and rear guide rails 94, 96 and 98depending from it and forming front and rear inverted channels 100 and102. The channel member 90 is fastened to the ceiling 10 by screws 104which extend through the base plate 92 and into the ceiling 10, and whenso fastened the front channel 100 is disposed directly above the frontchannel-like track 60 of the track member 40, while the rear channel 102is located directly above the rear channel-like track 62. The upper endsof the doors 42 fit into the inverted channels 100 and 102 andconsequently are confined both at their upper and lower ends, In thisconnection, it should be noted that the guide rails 94, 96 and 98 aresomewhat deeper than the guide rails 52, 56 and 58 and that theclearance between the upper edges of the doors 42 and the base plate 92is slightly greater than the depth of the rails 52,56 and 58. Thisenables the doors 42 to be installed or withdrawn without removingneither the upper channel member 90 nor the track member 40. In otherwords, the doors 42 are installed and withdrawn merely by lifting themupwardly until their lower edges clear the guide rails 52, 56 and 58,then swinging their lower ends over those guide rails 52, 56 and .58,and finally allowing them to drop into the appropriate channel-liketracks 60 and 62.

Extending between the channel member 90 and the track member 40 is acenter mullion 106, (FIGS. 1 and 2) the ends of which fit into the frontchannel 100 and the front channel-like track 60. The center mullion 106is secured in place by screws 108 which pass through the front guiderails 52 and 94 on the track and channel members 40 and 90,respectively. Not only does the center mullion 106 support the center ofthe partition member 24 from the ceiling 10, but it also masks theabutting edges of the two centermost doors 42 when those doors are intheir closed position. The centermost doors in such an instance should,of course, be in the rear track 62 and the corresponding invertedchannel 102, while the two outermost doors should be in the front track60 and corresponding channel 100.

Finally, a clothes rod 110 (FIG. 1) is connected to the side walls 12and 14 beneath the side supports 26 for the partition member 40.

Once the side walls 12 and 14, the back wall 16, the floor 8, and theceiling are constructed in accordance with conventional constructionprocedures, the channel member 90 is fastened to the ceiling 10 with thescrews 104. Then the side supports 34 are attached to the side walls 12and 14 with the screws 35 at the height at which the shelf 24 isdesired. Next the angle-bracket 38 is fastened to the back wall 16 withthe screws 32 at the same elevation as the side supports 34 and midwaybetween the side walls 12 and 14.

After the side supports 34 and the angle brackets 38 are fastened inplace, the upper end of the center mullion 106 is inserted into thefront channel 100 of the channel member 90 midway between the side walls12 and 14, and when properly positioned the screw 108 is advancedthrough the front guide rail 94 and threaded into the mullion 106.Similarly, the center support 36 is fastened to the angle bracket 38with the screws 39 so that it projects forwardly toward the dependingcenter mullion 106.

Thereafter, the track member 40 is installed over the forward ends ofthe two side supports 34 and the center support 36 such that theirforward ends fit into the space between the upper and lower horizontalsections 54 and 64. The entire track member 40 is then advancedrearwardly until its face plate 50 comes into abutment with the forwardedges of the supports 34 and 36. While track member 40 is advancedrearwardly, it is simultaneously bowed slightly downwardly at its centerto enable the lower end of the center mullion 106 to clear the rear andintermediate guide rails 58 and 56, and when the face plate 50 abuts theforward edge of the center support 36, the lower end of the mullion 106is guided into the front channel-like track 60. Thereafter, the screws72 are passed through the lower horizontal section 54 and into theforward ends of the side supports 34 and center support 36 for attachingthe track member 40 to those supports 34 and 36. Another screw 108 ispassed through the front guide rail 52 of the track member 40, and intothe mullion 106, thus supporting the center of the track member 40 fromthe ceiling 10.

With the track member 40 and mullion 106 firmly in place, the shelf 24is telescoped to its smallest dimension and fitted into the upper closet20, and when clear of the mullion 106 the segments 112 and 114 areshifted relative to each other until the shelf 24 extends from one sidewall 12 to the other side wall 14. When so disposed the base walls 32along the front and back of each segment 26 and 28 rest upon the sidesupports 34 and center support 36, and form a partition which separatesthe upper and lower closets 20 and 22. Moreover, the downwardly turnedflanges along the front of each segment 26 and 28 will be disposedbehind the rear guide rail 98 on the track member 40.

Once the shelf 24 is installed, the upper ends of the doors 42 areinserted into the inverted channels 100 and 102 to their fullest extent,and then the lower ends are swung forwardly to the channel-like tracks60 and 62. When the lower ends are positioned over the tracks 60 and 62the doors 42 are allowed to descend into those tracks 60 and 62.Accordingly, the doors 42 will slide on the tracks 60 and 62 and in thechannels 100 and 102, but will not move transversely of them.

Thereafter, the bottom doors 44 are installed on the track member 40 byhooking the rollers 82 of their roller brackets 80 over troughs of theroller tracks 66 and 68. This suspends the doors 44 from the trackmember 40 and enables them to slide to and fro relative to the sidewalls 12 and 14, in which case the rollers 82 merely roll along thetracks 66 and 68. Finally, the floor guides 84 are installed on thefloor 8 between the side walls 12 and 14, and these guides prevent thedoors 44 from swinging into and out of the lower closet 22.

Thus, by means of the hardware and other structure previously describedand the simple steps outlined above, the end of a room 6 or an inset ina room wall is converted into upper and lower closets 22 and 24, theformer of which is closed by the sliding doors 42, while the latter isclosed by the sliding doors 44.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of theexample of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosurewhich do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a room having spaced apart side walls, a back wall extendingbetween the side walls, a ceiling also extending between the side walls,and a floor at the bottoms of the side and back walls, improved meansfor constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: a trackmember extending between the side walls, the track member beingpositioned intermediate and spaced from both the ceiling and the floorand further being spaced outwardly from the back wall, the track memberhaving a door track thereon; end supports attached to the side wall forsupporting the track member at its ends, a mullion spaced from the sidewalls and extending between the ceiling and the track member forsupporting the track member intermediate its ends, an intermediatesupport member extending between and supported by the back wall and thetrack member, the support member being spaced from both side walls; ashelf extending between the side walls and between track member and backwall for dividing the space between the floor and ceiling into upper andlower closet sections, the shelf being supported at its ends on the sidewalls and resting on the intermediate support member between its ends,and a set of sliding-type doors on the door track for closing one of thecloset sections.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the track member comprisesspaced upper and lower horizontal sections and a facing sectionconnecting the horizontal sections at their front margins to form arearwardly opening channel on the track member; and wherein theintermediate support member fits into the rearwardly opening channel ofthe track member.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the shelf comprises twoshelf segments, one of which is telescoped within the other in adirection parallel to the track member, whereby the shelf will fitclosets of varying width.

4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the mullion is attached tothe ceiling through a ceiling guide which is fastened securely to theceiling directly above the track member and extends between the sidewalls; and wherein the sliding doors rest and slide on the track memberand are guided at their upper ends by the ceiling guide.

5. The structure according to claim 4 wherein the ceiling guide hasspaced guide rails which form a downwardly opening channel therein, thetrack member has spaced guide rails which form an upwardly openingchannel therein, and the ends of the mullion fit into the channelsformed by the guide rails on the ceiling guide and track member.

6. In a room having spaced apart sidewalls, a back wall extendingbetween the sidewalls, a ceiling also extending between the sidewalls,and a floor at the bottom of the sidewalls and back wall, improved meansfor constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: an endsupport member securely attached to each sidewall, the end supportmembers projecting only slightly outwardly from their respectivesidewalls and being spaced from one another so that a void existsbetween the two support members; a track member extending between thesidewalls and spaced forwardly from the back wall, downwardly from theceiling, and upwardly from the floor, the track member including spacedupper and lower track sections connected by a front section to form arearwardly opening channel into which the forward ends of the endsupport members fit, the track member further having a door track on thelower track section and upper tracks on the upper track section, thetrack member being fastened securely to the end support members; andintermediate support member extending between and supported by the backwall and the track member, the intermediate support member at itsforward end being fitted into the rearwardly opening channel of thetrack member, the intermediate support member being further fastenedsecurely to the track member and the back wall; a shelf within the otherin the direction parallel to the track member so that the shelf will ficlosets of varying width; a ceiling guide attached to the ceiling;slidingtype doors on the upper tracks and engaged with the ceilingguide; and another sliding-type door on the lower door track for closingthe lower closet section.

7. In a room having spaced apart sidewalls, a back wall extendingbetween the sidewalls, a ceiling also extending between the sidewalls,and a floor at the bottom of the sidewalls and back wall, improved meansfor constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: an endsupport member securely attached to each sidewall, the end supportmembers projecting only slightly outwardly from their respectivesidewalls and being spaced from one another so that a void existsbetween the two support members; a track member extending between thesidewalls and spaced forwardly from the back wall, downwardly from theceiling, and upwardly from the floor, the track member including spacedupper and lower track sections connected by a front section to form arearwardly opening channel into which the forward ends of the endsupport members fit, the track member further having a door track on thelower track section and upper tracks on the upper track section, thetrack member being fastened securely to the end support members; anintermediate support member extending between and supported by the backwall and the track member, the intermediate support member at itsforward end being fitted into the rearwardly opening charmel of thetrack member, the intermediate support member being further fastenedsecurely to the track member and the back wall; a shelf extendingbetween the sidewalls and resting at its ends on the end support membersand intermediate its ends on the intermediate support member, the shelffurther extending between the track member and the back wall, wherebythe space between the floor and the ceiling is divided into upper andlower closet sections; a ceiling guide attached to the ceiling; amullion located between and spaced from both of the sidewalls, themullion extending vertically between the ceiling guide and the trackmember and being fastened to the ceiling guide and the track member forsupporting the track member intermediate its ends, the mullion beinglocated between and spaced from both of the sidewalls; sliding-typedoors on the upper tracks and engaged with the ceiling guide; andanother sliding-type door on the lower door track for closing the lowercloset section.

1. In a room having spaced apart side walls, a back wall extendingbetween the side walls, a ceiling also extending between the side walls,and a floor at the bottoms of the side and back walls, improved meansfor constructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: a trackmember extending between the side walls, the track member beingpositioned intermediate and spaced from both the ceiling and the floorand further being spaced outwardly from the back wall, the track memberhaving a door track thereon; end supports attached to the side wall forsupporting the track member at its ends, a mullion spaced from the sidewalls and extending between the ceiling and the track member forsupporting the track member intermediate its ends, an intermediatesupport member extending between and supported by the back wall and thetrack member, the support member being spaced from both side walls; ashelf extending between the side walls and between track member and backwall for dividing the space between the floor and ceiling into upper andlower closet sections, the shelf being supported at its ends on the sidewalls and resting on the intermediate support member between its ends,and a set of sliding-type doors on the door track for closing one of thecloset sections.
 2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the trackmember comprises spaced upper and lower horizontal sections and a facingsection connecting the horizontal sections at their front margins toform a rearwardly opening channel on the track member; and wherein theintermediate support member fits into the rearwardly opening channel ofthe track member.
 3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein theshelf comprises two shelf segments, one of which is telescoped withinthe other in a direction parallel to the track member, whereby the shelfwill fit closets of varying width.
 4. The structure according to claim 1wherein the mullion is attached to the ceiling through a ceiling guidewhich is fastened securely to the ceiling directly above the trackmember and extends between the side walls; and wherein the sliding doorsrest and slide on the track member and are guided at their upper ends bythe ceiling guide.
 5. The structure according to claim 4 wherein theceiling guide has spaced guide rails which form a downwardly openingchannel therein, the track member has spaced guide rails which form anupwardly opening channel therein, and the ends of the mullion fit intothe channels formed by the guide rails on the ceiling guide and trackmember.
 6. In a room having spaced apart sidewalls, a back wallextending between the sidewalls, a ceiling also extending between thesidewalls, and a floor at the bottom of the sidewalls and back wall,improved means for constructing a closet in the room, said meanscomprising: an end support member securely attached to each sidewall,the end support members projecting only slightly outwardly from theirrespective sidewalls and being spaced from one another so that a voidexists between the two support members; a track member extending betweenthe sidewalls and spaced forwardly from the back wall, downwardly fromthe ceiling, and upwardly from the floor, the track member includingspaced upper and lower track sections connected by a front section toform a rearwardly opening channel into which the forward ends of the endsupport members fit, the track member further having a door track on thelower track section and upper tracks on the upper track section, thetrack member being fastened securely to the end support members; andintermediate support member extending between and supported by the backwall and the track member, the intermediate support member at itsforward end being fitted into the rearwardly opening channel of thetrack member, the intermediate support member being further fastenedsecurely to the track member and the back wall; a shelf extendingbetween the sidewalls and resting at its ends on the end support membersand intermediate its ends on the intermediate support member, the shelffurther extending between the track member and the back wall, wherebythe space between the floor and the ceiling is divided into upper andlower closet sections, the shelf including two segments, one of whichtelescopes within the other in the direction parallel to the trackmember so that the shelf will fit closets of varying width; a ceilingguide attached to the ceiling; sliding-type doors on the upper tracksand engaged with the ceiling guide; and another sliding-type door on thelower door track for closing the lower closet section.
 7. In a roomhaving spaced apart sidewalls, a back wall extending between thesidewalls, a ceiling also extending between the sidewalls, and a floorat the bottom of the sidewalls and back wall, improved means forconstructing a closet in the room, said means comprising: an end supportmember securely attached to each sidewall, the end support membersprojecting only slightly outwardly from their respective sidewalls andbeing spaced from one another so that a void exists between the twosupport members; a track member extending between the sidewalls andspaced forwardly from the back wall, downwardly from the ceiling, andupwardly from the floor, the track member including spaced upper andlower track sections connected by a front section to form a rearwardlyopening channel into which the forward ends of the end support membersfit, the track member further having a door track on the lower tracksection and upper tracks on the upper track section, the track memberbeing fastened securely to the end support members; an intermediatesupport member extending between and supported by the back wall and thetrack member, the intermediate support member at its forward end beingfitted into the rearwardly opening channel of the track member, theintermediate support member being further fastened securely to the trackmember and the back wall; a shelf extending between the sidewalls andresting at its ends on the end support members and intermediate its endson the intermediate support member, the shelf further extending betweenthe track member and the back wall, whereby the space between the floorand the ceiling is divided into upper and lower closet sections; aceiling guide attached to the ceiling; a mullion located between andspaced from both of the sidewalls, the mullion extending verticallybetween the ceiling guide and the track member and being fastened to theceiling guide and the track member for supporting the track memberintermediate its ends, the mullion being located between and spaced fromboth of the sidewalls; sliding-type doors on the upper tracks andengaged with the ceiling guide; and another sliding-type door on thelower door track for closing the lower closet section.